Traditional approaches to voltage waveform analysis involve repeated sampling of a signal at a particular point along the transmission line. This traditional approach is limited by the minimum time that can be achieved between successive samples. Previous efforts to decrease the effective time between samples have used multiple samplers at a single point on the transmission line to sample at slightly displaced instants of time. The multiple samples are taken at staggered times and thus the sampling rate is an important limiting characteristic in traditional non-repetitive waveform analysis techniques.
Some repetitive sampling techniques also provide time domain signals that are converted to spacial domain signals in order to accurately read and analyze a signal. Some analyzers convert the signal into an acoustic signal and use spaced detectors to measure the signal amplitude at different times. These analyzers perform continuous signal detection by use of piezoelectric transducers. Other types of analyzers use the signal to deflect an electron beam which is swept across a matrix to achieve the desired sampling. In electron beam analyzers, the signal must be converted into an intensity modulated electron beam, resulting in sequential data acquisition. These types of analyzers are complex, difficult to use, not readily integrated on a single semiconductor device, or are efficient for only repetitive electrical transients in the signal. Therefore, it is desirable to have an analyzer that is not limited by sampling rate, does not rely on time domain signal sampling, and can handle non-repetitive electrical transients in the signal.